


It's okay to say goodbye

by emulikule



Category: Yu-Gi-Oh!
Genre: Everything's chill, Fluff, Growing Up, M/M, Post-Canon
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-06-19
Updated: 2017-06-19
Packaged: 2018-11-16 01:32:28
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,367
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11243532
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/emulikule/pseuds/emulikule
Summary: The chance of meeting Atem, even if for a short while, is one that Yugi will never pass up on.A take on the post-canon events.





	It's okay to say goodbye

**Author's Note:**

> This mostly follows the events of the manga + dsod with a few mentions of the anime  
> Just a little deal I made with a friend

With the little that Kaiba had told him, if barely anything, Yugi had no clue what to expect once the pod stopped moving and complete silence overtook the small space, the only thing that he could see of where he had stopped being the blinding light from above. He gave one more look at the cube sitting by his arm, the glow it had emanated while he had been travelling now slowly disappearing as well.

“Might as well see what’s outside,” he said to no one but himself before finally taking off the safety belts and lifting off the lid.

It was… bright. And definitely hot. Most of what expanded before him was an endless desert with the sun blaring down on it so intensely that he could see the air around him shimmying. As soon as he stepped out though, small dark particles began slowly leaving his body, eventually disappearing into the air around him. He had been told that there would be a time limit. Guess this was how he would know when he had to go.

The one thing that broke the monotony of the sand was a lone city right before his eyes, though still a way to walk to. A small bump appeared in his throat as he began walking towards it, slow and careful of the sand at first, but as the minutes passed his movements grew faster and more frantic, stumbling a few times, but mostly ignoring anything that wasn’t the growing city in front of him.

Was he just trying to convince himself that it looked familiar? After all, he had been there for such a short amount of time and his mind could have been trying to find similarities where there were none.

Kaiba had no reason to lie, right?

Yugi finally slowed his steps as he reached the first buildings, only now realising that his breath had become laboured and his clothes had begun to stick uncomfortably to his body. He stopped for a moment, letting himself breathe more calmly for a few seconds and catching a few odd glances thrown his way from the people passing by.

So they could see him now.

He smiled warmly at them and began to walk down the main road that led to the towering palace. His head felt slightly dizzy and he wasn’t sure if it was from the heat, the running or from his own thoughts. With every step that he got closer to it, the lump in his throat seemed like it was growing and by the time he finally reached the regal building, the only thing left on his mind was the thought of getting some water to soothe everything.

The guards let him through with no trouble and the ones inside the palace even bowed once they heard the echo of his shoes hitting the plastered floors, making him a bit uncomfortable from the level of formality. He didn’t really deserve it, after all. The one that did sat on the throne, everyone’s attention turned from him to the newcomer. Everyone’s including his own.

“Other-” Yugi caught himself before the phrase could leave him. “Pharaoh.” The words didn’t feel completely as his own in the wide, yet somehow stuffy, hall. Maybe he was just trying to lift the silence. There had been far too much of it lately.

“Partner…” The word sounded gentle, exactly the same as all those times before.

Atem slowly stood up from his seat, all of the jewellery adorning his body glistening from the movement, and took a few tentative steps. Yugi felt like he was frozen in his own place, barely even moving his eyes to follow the other, the only thing that he did was let a small smile tug at his lips. It’s not like this was something new, he had met him before. But that was just a fleeting moment, they didn’t even talk, not that they needed to understand each other, but now hearing his voice again in that same tone that he was so used to made everything seem more real somehow.

Funny how the only places where both of them felt real were far from it.

“Why so formal?” Atem’s voice was now much closer, if a bit unsure, as he had finally stepped in front of Yugi.

“I guess the atmosphere got to me,” he tried to joke, instinctively raising his hand to rub at the back of his head. He lowered it after a few seconds and looked directly into the other’s eyes, trying to convey how he had been feeling. “It’s really nice to see you again, Atem.”

That seemed to calm the Pharaoh as he gave the same smile back to Yugi and tilted his head to the side just a bit, making his earrings clang as they moved. “They’re only acting like that because they know how important you are. After Kaiba had come here I had a small hope that you would too. I didn’t want to disillusion myself, but I’m really happy that I wasn’t wrong.”

“There’s no way I wouldn’t have come after finding out about his possibility,” Yugi said in one quick take. He couldn’t let Atem think that he wouldn’t have come here after having the chance to do so.

The other looked at him fondly, fully understanding what he was trying to convey. His eyes turned more sombre after a few moments though. “I’m sorry I had to leave so quickly. I wasn’t even sure if I should have...”

“No,” Yugi was quick to interject, “you made the right choice. Even then I was so happy just to see you one more time. You really helped us out.” _Helped me out_.

“I only did what you could have as well.” Yugi could hear a tinge of pride in that.

“It still meant a lot. You know that.” He couldn’t contain the growth of his smile as he looked at the other. Even getting this much was already starting to feel like a dream that he would soon wake up from. In a way, he guessed it kind of was.

His attention shifted slightly to the side when his eyes caught some movement there. A couple of people that had been standing by the throne and who had kneeled once he had come in were now silently talking to one another. “Oh, is that-?”

Atem turned around to follow where Yugi had been looking. “Right, you never got to meet them properly back then,” he said as he gestured for the two to come closer. They both seemed like deer caught in the headlights for a split second, but quickly regained their composure. The tall man walked with confident yet humble steps while the girl nearly ran Yugi over in her haste to get to him and the Pharaoh more quickly. “I’d like you to meet Mahad and Mana. And this is-”

“Yugi, right?” Mana chirped, her eyes sparkling, as she took both of his hands in hers. In that moment he had become ten times more conscious of the sweat that had accumulated on them. He really had needed to come in lighter clothes. “Oh we heard so much about you. You really do look like him, huh?”

“Mana,” Mahad said in a stern tone, but it was clear that he didn’t mean much by it. The man then gave another curt bow to Yugi.

“Sorry,” the girl winked playfully. “But it’s really nice to meet you. I always wanted to see the Pharaoh’s most important person.” She nudged the aforementioned one lightly on his arm as he averted his eyes while smiling.

“I hope I don’t fail your expectations.” Yugi shook her hands, making the girl even giddier as she began laughing.”

“You could never,” Atem said softly and Yugi wasn’t entirely sure anymore if he was only feeling the humid air around him.

He quickly turned back to the others. “I’m really honoured to meet you two in person. I hope it hasn’t been too much of a hassle taking care of Atem.”

“Every now and then,” Mana sighed.

“Hey!”

“Just kidding,” the girl cooed with the grin back on her face while Mahad shook his head lightly, though Yugi could have sworn that he also saw a small smirk appear on the man’s lips.

“Anyway,” Atem looked over the two and nodded, “I’m not sure how long you have here, but would you want to see around?” Mana gave Yugi a small wave and Mahad bowed his head lightly before the two turned around to get back to whatever they had been doing previously.

“I’m not sure either,” Yugi waved back to them, “but I’d love to. Last time it was so hectic we didn’t really have any time to just relax and take everything in.”

Yugi hadn’t realised how much cooler it had been inside the hall as he stepped back into the sun when they entered the royal gardens. He tried to roll up the sleeves of his shirt to at least get some more open skin, but made a mental note that if he did get the chance to get back here again to definitely come better prepared. Atem had noticed his feeble struggles and laughed inoffensively, offering to get him something more comfortable to change into. Yugi laughed as well, promising to take him up on that offer sometime later. That way he would definitely find a way to get back here since there were no such things as unfulfilled promises with Mutou Yugi.

“Kaiba had about an hour before these things made him disappear completely,” Atem gestured at the dark particles swaying around Yugi as they walked around the thriving flora. A few of them landed in his palm before slowly disintegrating like inverted snowflakes.

“Well, at least it’s an hour,” the other sighed. More than he had even hoped for.

“But you can visit again, right?”

“I will try, but this method is still highly unstable and it isn’t the easiest thing to get to Kaiba’s space station,” Yugi mused as he followed a couple of birds chattering among the trees.

“He has a space station now? Why am I not surprised.” Atem’s tone was clearly amused.

“He didn’t tell you anything?” Yugi turned back to him, slightly wide-eyed.

“Not really, he just came here, challenged me to a duel like the good old days, and left after it was done. Honestly, I wasn’t even completely sure if he had entered the afterlife fully or not, but it seems that he’s alright.”

“As much as someone like him can be.” Yugi thought back to a couple of months ago and the whole fiasco that had happened with Diva. From what he had seen it looked like Kaiba was at least somewhat better than back then. He genuinely hoped that it wasn’t just him thinking wistfully as was often the case.

The two of them spent most of Yugi’s time there just talking. He wanted to tell Atem so much, but for now he stuck with what had happened since the other had gone away, fully explaining the reason why he was called to return as well. Atem seemed happy when he told him about Anzu being able to go after her dream in America, it had been lonely without her too. Yugi wondered if Kaiba would let Jounouchi visit, or maybe even perfect the technology that he had now to accommodate more than one person at a time.

The hour or so passed far too quickly for anyone’s liking. As it was nearing closer the dark particles rising up from his body had intensified in their amount and speed and Yugi found that it had become harder for him to interact with the objects in this place. Atem assured him that the same had happened with Kaiba and that eventually the other just disappeared, leaving no traces of himself behind.

“I guess this time I get to disappear,” Yugi joked as he looked at his hands, almost completely swallowed up by the dark mist now.

Atem bit his lip, lowering his gaze.

“Don’t worry, though,” Yugi said, trying to get the other’s attention back to himself again, “it seems that neither of us know how to properly say a full goodbye.”

He gave one last smile, making it as warm as he could, before the view became too dark to see anymore.

He opened his eyes inside of the pod, back at the space station.

* * *

 

Somehow, Yugi did manage to convince Kaiba, with some additional help from Mokuba, to let Jounouchi use his technology as well. The blond came back with a bigger grin than he had had in months and Yugi was more than happy to listen to his best friend ramble on about his time in the Egypt of the afterlife. It seemed that Atem had gotten him to try and ride a horse, which at first was a rocky experience at best, but after some help and a few near falls, he kind of managed to get the hang of it. It looked like Jou had decided to take some lessons before he could travel back again to impress Atem and the others with his amazing skills.

Yugi kept in touch with Anzu, so he told her everything. The girl was ecstatic to hear that her friends were able to meet Atem again and grumbled how she was too far away and also extremely busy to do it herself too. She set on to try and bug Kaiba into making the pod big enough for a bigger group of people and once she was back she would definitely join in on the fun. For now, though, she made Yugi promise that he would try and at least get a picture or something with their Pharaoh friend. Whatever was possible in the afterlife. Maybe get a portrait done? That would be kind of cool.

It took a couple of months before he could go back, though. The technology that Kaiba was using to travel back and forth was still unstable and he needed a lot more work done on it. Good thing that once the rich kid got his mind set on something it was near impossible to get him to drop it.

Still, Yugi was busy himself. The game competition that he had won had made his name even more renown throughout the world and the fact that his creation was getting more and more popular only added to that. He got to work more with Kaiba, though, or at least Kaiba Corp. Mokuba was the one who spent more time with him overseeing the game’s development and production, but Kaiba did sometimes make an appearance himself, groan something about Duel Monsters still being more relevant, and leave once again.

Yugi knew that he liked his game. After all, he was the one who would challenge him every few weeks or so to a rematch.

The second time he visited it didn’t feel as much as a dream anymore, but the same lump in his throat still lingered for a bit before he met Atem again. He took up on the offer of some Egyptian garb, and even though he felt slightly odd in the different clothing, he decided that it wasn’t too bad overall. Definitely a lot more comfortable in the hot sun than the skinny jeans and a button-up shirt, that’s for sure.

Mana had joined them for the short amount of time that Yugi had (Kaiba had mentioned that he was working on that as well) and the girl wanted to show off some of the magic that she had learnt, excitedly taking the two outside and telling them to just relax and let their bodies go limp. Yugi and Atem had exchanged unsure looks before both shrugging with a smile. What’s the worst that could happen anyway? They already were in the afterlife.

Yugi had done as he had been told, though he hadn’t anticipated his body relaxing so much that he had begun to slowly lift on the ground. Atem seemed to be in the same boat as the other floated near him with a confused face, truly befit of a grand ruler.

Mana cheered as she jumped around, babbling about how she had learnt this spell for Yugi to see and ignoring the more frantic movements of her Pharaoh, who had begun turning sideways in the air. Yugi laughed at the ridiculous sight, clutching at his sides as he floated gracefully in one place, before eventually extending one arm for Atem to catch. He pulled the other closer, back to facing the normal way, still with a few tears in his eyes. He joked how after all this time spent hovering near him, once he was by himself he lost control of that. The other just laughed in turn, holding tight to his hand.

They didn’t let go until Yugi had to leave.

* * *

 

“I met an interesting kid the other day,” Yugi said as they were sitting by the outdoor pool with their feet dipped in the water.

It had become almost a schedule that he would visit every few months, though the time he could spend there had become longer with Kaiba’s help. They had already spent a few years at this and he appeared to be managing it pretty well.

“He ran into me and the cards seemed to take a liking to him, so I gave him one.”

“Did he look nice?” Atem asked as he lazily kicked back and forth, lacking any real force to make the water splash.

“Yeah, he felt familiar in a way. I think he’ll do some great things in the future.”

“If you say that then he definitely will.”

“Anzu came back not too long ago too,” Yugi continued. He had found that Atem liked listening to stories about the world he had left behind. “Maybe she’ll finally get to visit you.”

“I wonder how much she has changed,” Atem hummed.

“A bit. Most of us do, but she’s still the same old Anzu.” Yugi smiled as he said that. “She’s not going to stay for too long, though. It seems that her career in America is getting on pretty well and she also found someone there. I’m really happy for her.”

“I as well,” Atem agreed, “but how do you feel about…” he trailed off, trying to find something that would sound better than what his mind provided for him at that moment. He subconsciously clung to the puzzle around his neck as he did so.

Yugi just shook his head and looked back at him, a small smile adorning his features. “I really am. It’s nice seeing a friend find such happiness and honestly,” he gently placed his hand on the puzzle, their fingers brushing together in ghost touches on the jewellery, “I think I understand her more than enough.”

* * *

 

Kaiba eventually managed to get the cube working not just in space. It made the travelling a lot more easier and Yugi knew that even if the other didn’t say anything about it, he liked doing it as well.

It took a few more years before finally more than one person could go to Atem and once everyone had found time in their schedules, they all went there together. Even if the group was older now, it still felt just like it had all those years ago, Jou challenging Atem to a duel, losing with a whine that would quickly get replaced by a grin, all of them trying out the newest game that Yugi had been working on, enjoying their time in the warm sun while it snowed back home and finally saying goodbye once the dark mist that surrounded them indicated that it was time to do so.

* * *

 

Yugi had once come to visit after a particularly hard week. He knew that he didn’t have enough free time to be doing so, but if he was being true to himself, this was more than just an escape from his problems. Time didn’t pass in the afterlife like it did back home and everything gave off a calm feeling, relaxing him each time he came here now. Of course, it wasn’t just the place that did so.

Atem didn’t change much too, though he had shown that he could alter his appearance as if he was getting older alongside Yugi and the others. It felt more like there was something certain he could return to no matter what. Something he had once thought and accepted was lost.

It isn’t too bad being wrong sometimes.

He didn’t talk much that time and Atem knowing him so well even without any words took over the conversation. It was nice just listening to the other talk as they sat on the cushioned terrace that overlooked the blooming gardens. Even if there wasn’t a lot happening in the afterlife, Atem still managed to make things sound interesting. Yugi only listened to the soothing voice, watching the black particles sway around him slowly. There were a lot less of them now, smaller too. It meant that he still had time.

The lazy dance of the dark dust coming off his fingers alongside Atem’s voice were enough to make the stressful days finally take their toll on him and Yugi felt his eyelids becoming heavier with every passing moment. He would just close his eyes for a bit. He could still listen to Atem talk, he didn’t need them for that. The cushions were so soft too, it would be a crime not to enjoy them to the fullest.

The voice lulled him to sleep and Yugi didn’t even feel when he was shifted from laying on the cushions to doing so on a couple of warm thighs. He felt his mess of a hair being gently combed through and a strand being moved from his face. He felt like he could spend an eternity doing just this.

When he opened his eyes he was back home, staring at the dim cube before him.

* * *

 

The years passed just how he had expected them.

There were new people, new places, but even then some things stayed the same. He had even met the kid from long ago while he had been on a business trip to France, though calling him a kid now would have been quite inaccurate. He had grown, just like everyone else, but Yugi still recognized the same feeling he had given off all those years ago. He wasn’t alone this time, though. A smile brightened his features as he sat at an outdoor café with a man who mimicked the exact same look on his face. Yugi said his hellos to them, but didn’t linger for too long, leaving the two alone with whatever they had been doing.

That reminded him that he would need to tell Atem about the kid and the future of whom they had speculated on that lazy day by the pool.

He never did fully settle, his job making him move all around the world and making his lifestyle an ever-changing mystery. There was only one constant in his life and he visited him more and more as the time passed. He still kept in touch with his old friends, met them regularly and visited those who lived further away from the others. There were new ones as well and some he hadn’t seen in years. There were always new hellos and new goodbyes, the world never stopping for even a moment.

He loved the way it did whenever he would visit Atem.

They sometimes wondered together how Yugi’s afterlife would look like when it would finally be time. Atem guessed that it could be his old childhood house, or even the whole of Domino city and in a way Yugi felt that he was right, but there was something not completely full about that picture. Something missing, but he couldn’t say what.

He would find it funny when people would spread rumours about his ever-present elusiveness, how the famous “King of games” would often seem like he would disappear off the face of the Earth and no one would be capable of finding or getting in touch with him until he showed himself on his own accord.

_A living ghost._

_He’s always somewhere different._

_Has he stayed in one place for more than a year?_

He would tell Atem all about it, the other laughing alongside him from the speculations that Yugi was some otherworldly being who could disappear and reappear whenever he felt like it. They only increased with the years as he spent more and more time in the Egypt of the afterlife. He didn’t need to worry about his job as much anymore, he had more free time to just do whatever he felt like doing.

And his choice would always be the same.

* * *

 

A day came when he once opened his eyes in front of the palace.

It was quiet and calming, much like the many times before it. The people still bustled around the town and the guards still stood in their places with their faces stern, yet welcoming.

Yugi stepped through the entrance as he had done countless of times, the sound of his steps on the plastered floor echoing through the hall and for a fleeting moment he wondered why he had dressed up so warmly again. He had learnt his lesson after the very first visit, but his memory had been playing tricks on him for a bit now.

It all felt so much clearer, though.

The face he had grown so fond of greeted him once again, so familiar it hurt, even if Atem had decided to switch to his younger features this time. A soft smile arched his lips, slightly crinkling the sides of his eyes where the golden bangs fell loosely. Warm arms extended the greeting, turning it into a welcome back instead.

There was no more dark mist clouding his sight, the small particles forgotten somewhere behind.

Perhaps this time neither of them would need to say goodbye.

 


End file.
